It's July, 1941, in a dusty Georgia farming town. Plucky Mae Lee Willis, almost eight, knows there's more to life than her distracted parents tell her, and she's determined to find out. Her sixteen-year old sister Ava, beautiful and sultry, is eager to grab all that life has to offer, especially Dulany "Duke" Radford. The paratrooper son of a World War I flying ace who made good, Duke wants to prove he's not a privileged kid. He goes off to fight in Burma, spying and sabotaging behind enemy lines, even though Ava pleads with him to pull strings for a stateside job. But when Duke comes home from the war wounded in body and spirit and marries Ava, he has no idea that Ava is hiding something from him... and Mae Lee must make a choice that will change her life forever. Rubies from Burma explores the many sides of beauty, true and lasting love, and the sacrifices that families must make both for their country and for each other.